Book Review: In Time I See

Reviewed by Elizabeth Zender

Traverse the terrain of vulnerability, love, and loss with In Time I See.

Whisk away to the land of growing up. Open your eyes to the beautiful highs and painful lows of living a life. Suvannamaccha reflects on past loves, losses, and familial moments in this poignant & memorable collection. This is a wholly introspective journey full of bitter truths and the delicious stories we tell ourselves to keep going.

The poems range from two lines to six pages and are full of cascading emotion. Suvannamaccha does not shy away from the nitty gritty of her hardships; in “Dust,” she explores the depth of her love and the hurt of it when it is not returned. If that one does not hit you hard enough, read “Just Like Our Father,” which ends so painfully that it will take the air out of your lungs. 

Suvannamaccha does not mince words. She knows what needs to be drawn out to make a point and which sentiments need little to cause an impact. At times, her style is reminiscent of the works of Rupi Kaur and Lang Leav; these poems hold the same echoes of lost love and the effort that goes into rebuilding the self after heartbreak. Suvannamaccha entrusts the reader with the role of confidant and it proves a worthy endeavor.

In Time I See plays with structure, rhyme schemes, and free verse poetry. Its eclectic contents come together to tell the story of Suvannamaccha’s life. Baring your soul is hard enough; putting it on pages to live forever may be even tougher. This collection reveals the beauty in vulnerability. 

In Time I See rivals the execution of popular novels with its accessibility, relatability, and ceaseless flow. Suvannamaccha keeps the reader focused from one poem to the next with clever wordplay and creative thinking. The varied number of lines keeps the reader curious about what is on the next page.

There is nothing I love quite like cozying up with a good book and a cup of coffee, and this turned out to be a wonderfully cozy companion. Kaileia É. M. Suvannamaccha is a poet to watch; the intimacy of In Time I See deserves a follow-up. I, for one, will be eagerly waiting for it.

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